Yao Davis Family

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T15:40:00.000-08:00

Yao and I stayed in a hotel suite for the Thanksgiving holiday this year. It was super comfortable and nice and we had a great time doing nothing!

view from Olympic Park
simple meal from Whole Foods I didn't have to cook

74 degrees inside and Yao is 'cold'

post meal 'snack' at 8 p.m.

private hot tub on the balcony

Yao's baptism

2011-10-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to announce Yao's baptism last Sunday October 23rd! Yao has been a faithful nonmember for 6 years and he decided to make it official a couple weeks ago. He put together a great program and it was a really special day for us. So glad to have shared it with friends and family (Although, we wish our families could have been there in person).

before the baptism

Bishop Hong, 1st Counselor in the bishopric
and a member of the High Council Brother Janmuhammad

Brother Jackson and his wife came to support Yao.
Brother Jackson was in the bishopric in our first ward 5 years ago.

Friends and neighbor Livia and Kevin Taylor

Ward mission leader Bishop Gao, Bishopric and another member

of the High Council Brother Alder

Cabo, Mexico

2011-08-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Yao and I finally got time away to celebrate our graduation in May . . . and go on a MUCH needed vacation. We went to Cabo San Lucas and stayed in an all-inclusive resort that we never wanted to leave. You'll see what we did, swim and sunbathe. It was fabulous!

Riu Palace Resort in Cabo

Yao in the pool moments after we'd checked in

Yao's idea of buttering bread, the Welsh aunties would be proud

our first morning poolside

life is hard

a snorkeling trip to Moreno Bay

dinner cruise around the city with the famous arch in the background

Yao in the daily ping pong tournament

at the pool

final night before dinner

Auntie Sarah visits

2011-07-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

Auntie Sarah was in town before she went to Alaska to visit Jeff & Adrienne. We went to lunch with Mom and Graham. So good to see her!

Apricots!

2011-07-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

I bought some apricots from local farmers in Willard, UT to make fruit leather and dried apricots. How domestic of me, right? It took about three days to dry them both but they came out dried and yummy! Take a look.

Before

. . . . After

yummy fruit leather and dried apricots!

No-canning jam recipes

2011-07-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

I tried Sunset's no-canning jam recipes today, strawberry raspberry and cherry rhubarb. Tons of fun in the 80 degree heat! What was I thinking? The recipe is below if you want to try yourself.

Cherry rhubarb jam

Strawberry raspberry jam

Makes 4 jars (8 oz.)

2 1/2 tbsp. Sure-Jell pectin labeled "for less or no sugar needed recipes"

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups coarsely mashed strawberries

1 1/4 cups coarsely mashed raspberries

1 1/4 cups unsweetened berry juice blend (Santa Cruz Organic Berry Nectar)

1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. butter (prevents foaming)

1. Combine pectin and 1/4 cup sugar in a 5-6 qt. pot. Stir in berries, then berry and lemon juices and butter. Bring mixture to a brisk boil over high heat, stirring often.

2. Add remaining 1 cup sugar. Return jam to a brisk boil, stirring. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat.

3. Ladle jam into heatproof jars and close with lids. Let cool to room temperature. Keeps, chilled, up to 1 month.

Alaska

2011-06-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

I spent 10 days in Alaska visiting Jefferson & Adrienne. I had such a good time hiking, running the Mayor's half-marathon, seeing whales on a Kenai Fjords cruise, and just hanging out. Thank you both for such a great trip! Highlights are below although I didn't get pictures of many of the true Alaskan highlights, i.e. mullets and moose spottings.

Too cute! Emma wearing Grandma's Michaels find

Thunderbird Falls hike

Seward, AK

Pacific Humpback whale

Holgate glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park

glacial ice

bike ride with Adrienne's kids

Hatcher's Pass hike

Butte hike

Adelaide at Tball

Davis at Tball

Ainsley at the playground

Try, try, try . . .

A day on the farm at Zoe's Garden

2011-05-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

I've worked two Saturday's in May at Zoe's Garden and I'll start working more now that school is out. Today we dug up red sunchokes; a lot of work for a small payoff. I hope to post about the work I do, the things I learn, and the good food I get to eat this summer.

Riding to pick up boxes and dig up sunchokes

Flowers that need to be planted next week

Digging up sunchokes

The weather was overcast and 60ish today, which is perfect for working outside. When the weather warms up I don't know that I'll look this happy.

CSA goodies

2011-05-21T12:54:00.001-07:00

We got our first basket of fresh veggies this week from Zoe's Garden (http://zoegarden.com). I'm volunteering/interning this summer and I get their weekly basket as payment. The spinach was so good as were the radishes and microgreens! There were a couple things I didn't know what they were so I'll have to ask Farmer Dave next time I go out to the farm. We look forward to 15 more weeks of yummy, fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.

Ogden half-marathon 2011

2011-05-21T12:44:00.001-07:00

I just finished the Ogden half-marathon this morning! It was a beautiful sunny day in Ogden, perfect running conditions. This is my 5th year running either the full or half and I hope to do it year after year.

I came in so fast that Yao could barely catch a photo!

finished!

We finished the morning off with breakfast at Jeremiah's-so good! Meg, I missed you today. We'll have to meet up and run it another year.

Double Graduation

2011-05-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

WE DID IT! Yao and I both graduated last weekend. Yao with an MBA from the UofU and me with an MNM from Regis University in Denver, CO. We are so excited to be finished and hope to start our new lives with new jobs. (BTW: We're still looking so if you know of something let us know. We're willing to relocate to anywhere but Alaska . . . and West Virginia.) We spent 2.5 days in Denver soaking in the 85 degree sun. It was so nice and warm and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Yao: Masters of Business Administration

Arriving at the Denver airport

Emilie: Masters of Nonprofit Management

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

I know it's not until tomorrow but Yao and I celebrated yesterday with a trip to Park City for dinner and a little shopping. It was nice to spend some actual time together and it didn't hurt that I got something new to wear. To top off the nice weekend it is sunny and 55 degrees today! The forecast is sunny and 55 for the next three days . . . before the snow storm moves in on Thursday. We're really hoping for an early spring.

Some pictures from the past:

Christmas 2010-California adventure

2011-01-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

Yao and I spent our Christmas break housesitting for my aunt Jamie in Dana Point, CA. We had a great time exploring. We went running along the coast in San Clemente, ate Chinese food in LA, visited the San Diego Zoo and ate lobster in La Jolla, went whale watching off the coast of Dana Point, and shopped in Las Vegas. On the way home we hit a major snow storm just north of St. George so we had to stop in Cedar City for the night. We were lucky to have made it though. And the trip made up for the terrible drive home. Thanks Jamie & Sabrina for a great week in the sun!

Christmas Day at the harbor in Dana Point

Later that afternoon we visited Chinatown,

and then went to San Gabriel to find Yao some authentic northern Chinese food.

Monday we went to the San Diego Zoo. Everyone else

apparently had the same idea b/c it was packed! But it was

a beautiful sunny day in December and we had

a great time.

On our whale watching boat trip in Dana Point, CA

Happy Anniversary

2010-12-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

Today is our fifth wedding anniversary. A lot has happened in five years (graduations, citizenship, homeowners, etc.). We're happy to have spent the last 7 years together and hope for many more.

Peru field study

2010-11-27T18:43:00.001-08:00

Believe it or not, this is still an abbreviated list of what I did and saw in the two weeks I was in Peru. Our days were jam-packed with visits, interviews, lectures and field work sites mixed in with a little bit of sightseeing. Here is a quick travelogue of my time in Peru:

Our first morning in Lima with the group

Sol, our tour guide for the day, was very memorable

a native Peruvian dog-it is even uglier in person

The Universidad Del Pacifico hosted us for two days where we
were able to meet the President and two other Harvard graduate professors
that are experts in the field of nonprofits

Fe y Alegria is a nonprofit that sponsors schools and programs
in schools all over the country

two star-students at a Fe y Alegria sponsored school in one of
the poorest neighborhoods outside Lima

Micaela, the ED in this region of Lima for Un Techo para mi Pais

(one roof for my country), tells us about the families we will meet

in the slums where they are working

Juan, an U.S. Embassy officer in the drug trafficking division,

arranged our last meal at the naval base in Lima. It was a roof top

restaurant overlooking the ocean and the chef, pictured here,

prepared the best meal of my life!

Our next stop was Iquitos and our first morning we went to the local market

where we found everything from fresh, local bananas to alligator

Two girls we met at a nonprofit orphanage in Iquitos. The orphanage

was unable to retain the music teacher b/c of budget shortfalls so our

group left a donation to pay the music teacher's salary for the next 6 months.

Amazon Cares, a nonprofit animal rescue and education program in Iquitos

After a day of touring several nonprofits we boarded a ferry to

take us up the Amazon to our lodge in the jungle

a typical house in the jungle

the difference in water level from low to high season can be 30-40 feet

a clinic started by Linnea Smith and supported by

Rotary International groups from Wisconsin

(she has written a book, La Doctora, that explains her story)

our local guide showed us a seed that can be used for dye,

war paint in this case, and lipstick

Yagua Indian tribe showed us how to use a blow gun

a woman from the tribe in traditional clothes knitting a bag

(Do you see what's in her hair?)

our guide's uncle owns the only rum distillery in the jungle and he

showed us how to make sugar cane rum

(horses or water buffalo would usually be pushing this)

the Director of a nonprofit library in the jungle-the first ever!

"Monkey Island", a nonprofit animal rescue that rehabilitates monkeys

the monkeys were really friendly at first, as you can see here, but when

we tried to leave some of them got pretty aggressive and we

decided they weren't so cute after all

a night of entertainment at Explorama lodge

(that's our guide playing guitar)

Conapac, a nonprofit entity of Explorama, sponsors schools with

the help from donors all over the jungle-this is one of the schools they sponsor

those of us healthy enough to play, played the students in a game

of soccer-we won with the help of our guide

(it was so hot and humid it literally felt like

we were taking a shower when we finished the game)

another nonprofit rescue that houses everything from holler monkeys

to butterflies to leopards, this one lost its mother to poachers

after Iquitos we flew to Cusco, elevation approx. 13,000 feet

they have a special tea that helps with the altitude sickness

one of the squares in Cusco with my roommate on the trip,

Katey from CA

a traditional dance at a dinner/show in Cusco

a group of students on a field trip to the Incan temple in Cusco

our guide, Francisco, was irresistable,

he started every sentence with, "My dear friends . . . "

we visited a nonprofit weaving museum in Cusco where we learned

about a weaving co-op that supplies the shop and how they

are trying to preserve their culture through weaving

this is one of the co-op weaving groups we visited in the

country outside Cusco, we learned how they dye the yarn

using natural resources and how they spin and weave

mother and daughter starting a rug

next stop was Ollantaytambo on our way to Machu Picchu,

we saw Incan ruins that were really interesting

Emma runs a nonprofit weaving shop in Ollantaytambo

called Awamaki-they employ women from all over the

region selling their goods at fair trade prices

that afternoon we got on the train to go to Agues Calientes,

the gateway city to Machu Picchu

We ended the trip with a full day at Machu Picchu. I went with a group at 5:30 a.m. to hike Huayna Picchu and we were lucky enough to have a perfectly clear (and hot) day, which is rare.

I'm sure I've left a lot of informatin out, these are just the highlights. It was such an amazing experience b/c we were able to see all the major regions in Peru and talk to so many different people doing important humanitarian work in the country. It was an experience of a lifetime!

Sneak peak from Peru

2010-11-17T18:06:00.001-08:00

I just got back from my two week adventure in Peru today. I will post again and explain what we did and what we saw but here is a quick snapshot of where I was the last two weeks.

Downtown Lima, Peru at the start of the trip

Livin' large in the Amazon jungle

Fair trade weavers in Chinchero, Peru

The city of Machu Picchu in the background and I'm about to climb the mountain behind it-Huayna Picchu

Fall Break/Birthday celebration: Jackson Hole, Wyoming

2010-10-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

Yao and I actually had some time off from work and school and decided to take a short trip to Jackson Hole, WY as kind of a pre-birthday celebration. Yao turns 38! on Thursday (10/21) so we lived it up in Jackson for three days. Here are the highlights:

First things first, Yao had to connect to the internet as soon as we checked in to our cabin

window shopping in Jackson-no we didn't buy it

(it's a fur jock strap in case you can't tell)

arch o' antlers

Yao ordered frog legs and duck for his birthday dinner at Rendezvous Bistro in Jackson

Arriving at Yellowstone National Park-south entrance

(this picture wouldn't upload right side up so use your imagination)

turn your head to the left, it's Old faithful erupting!

Old Faithful in the background

Grand Teton National Park

Yao and I overlooking Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park

Labor Day weekend 2010

2010-09-11T20:11:00.001-07:00

Yao needed an extension to his desk b/c he was taking over mine. So we went to IKEA Monday and got him another table top and drawer system. And I got to organize our files. Aaaahhhh!

We stopped at a couple fruit/veggie stands on our way up to Brigham City for a nice Saturday drive on the scooter. We bought fresh peaches, tomatoes, zucchini, jalapeno peppers for Yao, corn, and potatoes. We grilled the veggies with some fish for Sunday lunch/dinner, it was so good!

Emilie turns 31!

2010-08-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

My birthday was last Friday and this is my new outfit from Yao (he got me a gift card and I picked out the outfit) and the purse is from Auntie Sarah. Sarah always sends me money for my birthday and it's my tradition to buy myself a new purse with the money. So thank you Aunt Sarah and Yao and Mom (lots of fun new school clothes & a new haircut tomorrow that I'll post later) and the Nelsons, Davis', and Graham for their birthday song renditions. Turning 31 wasn't as fun as turning 30 but how do you top skydiving?

Yao's latest creation

2010-08-13T15:25:00.001-07:00

This is what Yao made himself for breakfast this morning: cheerios with orange juice and that's an egg on top. Warmed it all up in the microwave for a couple minutes to cook the egg and ate it! This is maybe THE strangest combination I have seen him eat since he moved here. He did admit that it didn't tast good but that it was good nutritionally so he sacrificed the flavor. Can anyone top that?

Chinese group fun

2010-08-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yao's group of friends at work got together for a BBQ at Brighton ski resort Saturday night. There were 5 or 6 families and a couple single guys who had served mission in Taiwan. But several other American spouses so the group was a little more diversified than some of the other groups Yao associates with. Mom came too (we had all stayed down in Provo the night before so I could run the Provo River half marathon that morning) and we all had tons of fun. Here are some of the highlights.

Yao put himself in charge of the BBQ (lamb kebobs)

Yao and I at the BBQ

inside the cabin

group picture

one of the guys LOVES to take family pictures, which is why we have pictures at all of yesterdays get together

Boise getaway

2010-08-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our three day getaway to Boise and we actually had a lot of fun. They were having the Basque festival this last weekend, which only happens every five years, so that was interesting. We tried some new cuisine. I ran 18 miles along the Boise river on their Greenbelt path Saturday morning and then we floated the river that afternoon. I could definitely live in Boise for all of their running paths, I loved it! And we tried three restaurants Guy Fieri had been and our vote went to Pizzalchik. Sounds weird but it was really good, homemade pizza, chicken and salads. We recommend it and we recommend floating the river.

before we began our river journey

Yao working hard while I worked on my tan

Yao relaxing for .5 seconds

our trip down the river

music in the square downtown during lunch

restaurant in Meridian where Guy Fieri visited-good salmon

Basque festival, Yao tries the solomo sandwich from another Guy Fieri favorite

rice jambalaya thing cooking in a huge pan

eating the rice jambalaya thing in the Basque market

Scootin' around

2010-07-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Off to the gym

Look at me posting three times in one month! Yao and I bought a scooter, my idea for a second car, about six months ago and I keep forgetting to take a picture and post it. We bought it back in March when I thought a warm spring was right around the corner. Ask my friends at work how that worked out for me. I came drenched to work more than once. But now it's warm and it is tons of fun to get around town.

July 24th Utah Pioneer Days

2010-07-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

A quick post before our big Boise trip. We celebrated our 24th of July holiday by seeing Inception and going to the Ogden rodeo for the final night where they crown Ms. Rodeo Utah! Pretty exciting. I wish I could have shown you the most exciting part which was the best mullet I have seen in quite some time. I tried to get a picture, it was just too obvious.

Ogden July 24th rodeo

July 2010

2010-07-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been much going on to report, hence the lack of posts since the last day of school. I've attached some pictures of races I ran this month-Huntsville July 4th 10K and Missoula, Montana half marathon. We've been to the pool a couple times, once with my aides and students and once with Jefferson's girls, Ainsley and Alyvia. We forgot the camera both times of course. No house projects this summer. Besides, Yao is home and I have to consult him and his answer is always "No." No to painting (Mom's favorite past time other than doing laundry), no to a kitchen backsplash, no to patio furniture.
Yao and I are going to Boise next weekend so hopefully we'll have something to share. Mom researched all of Guy Fieri's hot spots in Boise to eat so I think we're set. I'll give a full report on what we thought. Until then.

Huntsville July 4th 10K

Missoula half marathon with friend/aide Jackie;
rated #1 in Runner's World poll & it was a good one!

The last day of school!!!

2010-05-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today could not come fast enough this year. My school secretary said the end of the year is like child birth, it's so painful you block it out. Each year I forget how bad it was the year before. Well, this year was no different. I was soooo ready for today to end and I'm happy to just focus my efforts on finishing up some classes this summer and hopefully training for a marathon. I'll hopefully have something fun or interesting to post after I've taken a couple weeks to decompress.

Ogden Half-marathon

2010-05-22T14:48:00.001-07:00

We got so very lucky last weekend when the sun came out for a day to let all of us run. We've had nothing but rain all month, all spring really, so I was excited that the day was so nice.

Meg and I coming in to the finish line at 2:03:00 or something;

not bad for a couple of out of shape girls!

Scott and NB, she got a strawberry smoothie for her efforts

me and NB;

she actually liked me this time, I was so in love!

Meg and I after some bread and a breather;

we're considering training for a marathon in September?!

. . . and then I got mono

2010-04-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

So the mono I had in the fall that kept me from running the Logan marathon came back just before the 10 miler, which is why I felt so tired! Needless to say I did not run the half marathon I wanted last weekend but I'm slowly starting to build back up to 20-30 mile weeks. I should be in fine form for the Ogden half marathon May 15th. Meg and her family are coming down for it and I'm so excited to run with her.
So sorry there hasn't been much to report . . . I've been sleeping a lot. Yao and I hope to return to normal life next April/May when we both graduate!! We're doubling up this summer so we can graduate earlier than expected and we're planning a trip to Europe next summer to celebrate. Until then it will be a lot of work and homework for the two of us but hopes of better jobs and a "normal" life.

10 miler results

2010-03-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

This is the worst race of the series and I am happy to have it done. I've been exhausted these last 2-3 weeks and it has shown in my running performance. I finished, lets just say that. Slow and steady but I made it in 1:37. It started to snow the last 3 miles but otherwise the weather was good. The half is in another 3 weeks and that will be a piece of cake compared to this 10 mile course. Keep runnin'!

10K results

2010-02-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

No picture to post (we forgot the camera) but the 10K was last Saturday. I finished in 56 minutes, which is good for me and this course-major hills. In three more weeks I have the "10 miler" and I hope to run the course a couple times before the race. Keep on runnin'!

Winter race training series

2010-02-06T22:54:00.001-08:00

Training season begins. Today was the first race of the season to prepare for the Ogden marathon in May. Meg and I are signed up for the half so I signed up for the local winter training race series again this year to prepare. Today was a 5K and it went well. It was an unusual warm winter morning and the course was a killer. I'm embarrassed to be posting this picture but oh well.

glad to be done, 26:50 I think was my time

Next up is a 10K in another two weeks with even more hills to train for. Better get running!

Dinner party

2010-02-06T22:47:00.001-08:00

Yao and I hosted our dinner group last week. We attempted to do a home version of hot pot - sort of like the Asian version of fondue. It's a soup base that you boil and cook veggies and meat and dip out one at a time. It was pretty successful. We also had lettuce wraps for an appetizer and homemade coconut sorbet with mangoes for dessert.

before the guests arrive

our dinner group friends enjoying the meal

Thanks Mom

2010-02-06T22:38:00.000-08:00

Yao holds up his udon noodle bowl Mom got as a gift for his citizenship hoopla. Thanks Mom he loves it! Sid loved the wrapping even more.

He's already had a bowl of noodles in his new bowl.

all wrapped up

Sid played in this for at least 20 minutes

The newest U.S. citizen

2010-01-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

Yao was sworn in Wednesday as one of the newest U.S. citizens! There were nearly 150 people being sworn in that day respresenting 63 countries. It was an interesting and memorable experience. Here are some pictures from the ceremony (I forgot to charge the battery for the video camera so these are all the pictures I have.):

Yao taking the oath;

"proud to be an American";

we're going to plan a trip outside the U.S. to celebrate his citizenship!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Christmas 2009: Adrienne, Adelaide and I went to the Nutcracker Wednesday for a girls day out. It was a lot of fun. Adelaide was practicing dance moves on the stairs. Christmas Eve everyone went to Temple Square to see the lights and nativity. We rode the FrontRunner down, had some hot chocolate and came back to Ogden for some Chinese food. Merry Christmas, farararara, rararara (the Chinese waiters singing in A Christmas Story for those who don't know.)!

Adrienne, Adelaide, and Emilie at the Nutcracker

Davis LOVED Yao's Christmas present (a massager)

Emma & Adrienne on the FrontRunner

Yao & Davis

Everyone at Temple Square

4th Anniversary

2009-12-20T19:39:00.001-08:00

Yao and I celebrated our 4th anniversary with cross country skiing at North Fork, dinner at Tepanyaki, and going to see the Blind Side. We both just finished our first semester of grad school so this was our first weekend in months where we could relax and spend some time together. It was a fairly warm winter day, for Utah, and the sun was out so it was a great day for skiing. We look forward to another great year!

Yao and I taking a lunch break

starting out on the trail

Yao's early birthday present

2009-10-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

I got Yao rollerblades for his birthday but decided to order them early so he could enjoy them before the weather turned ugly. I always bug Yao to come running with me but he can't or won't. So now he can rollerblade beside me as I run-yeah a running partner! Here are some pictures of Yao trying out the new rollerblades by our house yesterday.

getting started

say cheese

round one, still on his feet

he likes his birthday present

Syd gets a haircut

2009-10-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Syd got a haircut Friday-he was not happy & he let his stylist know by peeing all over her and the table . . . twice. He did survive the ordeal and here he is scarfing down his breakfast that had to wait until after the cut.

Running woes

2009-09-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

So I've been training all summer for the Logan Top of Utah marathon September 19th and first day of school I get sick. I figure it's just a cold and I can get over it. Well, it looks like it is a mild case of mono and three weeks later I am still sleeping 12-14 hours a day and running a maximum of two miles. The marathon will have to wait I guess.
When I get back to running I want a new pair of natural shoes. Here's a funny ad from Nike about the shoes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH4hsmroXaE

Emilie turns 30

2009-08-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

I took my first skydive with Faris @ the Ogden Airport today to celebrate turning 30!

don't look . . .

soft landing

what a ride

Yao was nervous I wasn't going to come down alive. We don't have life insurance either. But I made it and I'm 30!!!!

School started

2009-08-26T19:00:00.001-07:00

And so it begins . . .

sadly, it's only day three.

NYC trip w/Mom

2009-08-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Mom and I went on a nearly 3 week trip to NYC, Boston, Cape Cod, and New Hampshire in July. We had a great time and here are some highlights.

Chinatown taichi. We watched while we waited for a dumpling market to open so I could take dumplings home to Yao.

Fabulous donut shop on the lower east side

New Hampshire covered bridge

Mt. Washington Hotel main lobby

Mt. Washington New Hampshire Hotel front entrance

Summit of Mt. Washington

On our way to the top

Mt. Washington Cog Railway

Mom on a Cape Cod beach

Pilgrims landing monument in Provincetown, Cape Cod. Although there were other more exciting things to see in Provincetown.

Cape Cod bay

JFK Museum Boston, MA

Paul Revere statue on the Freedom Trail

Street dancers in Boston, MA

Great local seafood place if you have time to wait

. . . still waiting

Mom waiting for a ferry ride in Boston harbor

Back to NYC to see Jersey Boys-fabulous show

Falafel cart recommended by Greg & Rebekah

NYC public library

Skyline from Brooklyn

Time Warner Square-big statue, little peepee

Little Italy

Washington Square park

playing chess in Washington Square park

Chelsea market where Mom inhaled a chocolate cupcake

Tour of the Radio City Music Hall-that's a real rockette!

Tenement museums in the lower east side

Restaurant in Chinatown

Seinfeld diner near our apt.-don't go for the food

Subway musicians

New Homeowners!

2009-08-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just after we got back from our Vegas spring break trip we moved into our new townhome. We took advantage of all the grants and got a great deal for a first house. Here are a couple pictures after we moved in and had a chance to decorate a little. The kitchen was a surprise for Yao when he came home from China.

Living room w/bookshelves

Syd in the IKEA living room

newly painted "Sea Kiss" kitchen

Spring Break in Vegas

2009-08-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

I know Spring Break was like 4 months ago but I've been busy. Yao and I went to Vegas for 3 or 4 days and had a great time at Caesar's Palace. We only have pictures of this Chinese restaurant because that's where we spent all of our time and meals. I don't remember where I ate. Yao loved it though.

Highlights from Christmas break

2009-01-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2008 was great. Yao and I stayed home which was a first I think since we've been married. Since our anniversary falls so close to Christmas and the only break I have in the year we have often gone out of town. He wanted to go to Hawaii. Hmmm, some other time I guess.
Adrienne and her family were down for the holidays. We got to see them for what felt like brief moments when you're sharing them with 7 other families. It was great to see how their little family is growing and we had tons of fun. We went to the Nutcracker in SL and Yao went to a Jazz game. Adrienne and I had our day in Park City at the outlets where we both spent a respectable amount of money. Mom sent all kinds of Chinese paraphernalia to Yao for Christmas. They will come in handy in time. Thanks everyone for a great Christmas!

Chinese culture books for little tots. Was that a hint?

Graham and Adelaide

Emilie and Adelaide. I don't like to pick favorites but she is a hoot!

Emilie, Adrienne, Adelaide, and Graham at the Nutcracker

Christmas 2008

2008-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

It's finally Christmas break!! Yep, I was still in school yesterday. Don't ask me about it, I'm still bitter. Over the weekend we had our staff party. In my classroom are 13 kids and 5 aides. Jackie (my FT aide) was gracious enough to host the party and we had a great time. Plenty to eat, even for me. I made a new salad that was good but not a hit for those who don't like beets. Yao filled up on turkey and ham. We left with a gift certificate to Cafe Rio and scented oil sticks (or whatever they're called).

Roasted Beets and Parsnips with Black Olives and Oranges
Serves 4 / Vegan / Gluten-Free / 20-30 min. prep

(Vegetarian Times magazine)

4 beets, peeled and diced (3 1/2 cups)
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into matchsticks (2 cups)
1 fennel bulb, cut into bite-size wedges (3/4 cup) (I substituted Anyse bulb.)
3 Tbs. garlic-infused olive oil
8 cups baby arugula (8 oz.) (I used mixed spring greens.)
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned, each section thinly sliced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Place beets, parsnips, and fennel in large bowl. Add 2 Tbs. oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and evenly scatter vegetables on baking sheet. Roast vegetables 20 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times with spatula. Increase oven temp to 500F. Roast vegetables 10 minutes more, or until tender.
2. Place arugula, orange slices, and olives in large salad bowl. Add roasted vegetables, balsamic vinegar, and remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Toss well to mix, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Saturday was out third anniversary. And Sunday we had a party with Ashley Phillips & fam and Renee Nipko & clan (6 kids but who's counting?). Yao built his first gingerbread house!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. More stories and pictures to come.

3rd wedding anniversary

2008-12-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

December 20th is our wedding anniversary and yesterday made 3 years. We celebrated with reservations at the Melting Pot (although we were too full for dessert). Yao got a new pair of boots and I got to pick out an outfit at Anthropologie (my favorite store that I can't afford and don't have anywhere to wear the clothes). Anyway, lots of fun.

Yao's Olympic debut

2008-10-17T10:30:00.001-07:00

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Yao got a job

2008-10-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

Many of our friends and family know Yao has been job hunting since the Olympics finished (that was his criteria). He has been successful in his own small business ventures but had yet to be hired on with a company. Yesterday was his first day in training with UTA. He is a passenger counter on the Frontrunner while he pursues other possibilities such as: teaching Chinese for Davis School District or working for Zion's Bank.
BTW: Yao got his permanent green card last month. We'll both be happy when we don't have to give all our $ to the immigration department.

Summer Fun

2008-08-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

Yao and I are trying to enjoy the last few days off we have together. We spent a fun-filled week with Mom and Alyvia before they left for Alaska. We rode the Frontrunner down to Salt Lake, went to Brigham City to swim, and spent the 24th at Ogden's rodeo. We also recently went to Timpanogos Cave and camping in Bear Lake.

Yao (gufu) and Alyvia on the FrontRunner

Grandma and Alyvia at Brigham City pool

Having fun at the rodeo

Timpanogos Cave

First time for everything

2008-07-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

We are first time bloggers. It seems everyone is doing it and we didn't want to be left behind. Yao and I are in transition right now. We just got back from a 6 week trip to China. We stayed with Yao's family and also traveled around the country to see some of our old students. I've attached pictures of some of the highlights.
School starts back up for me August 25th but I have to go back to work on the 13th. So I'm trying to soak up all the extra sleep and fun I can in the next couple weeks. Then it is back to the grind. Yao is preparing to take the GMAT while looking for a job. His aspirations are to work for the Post Office j/k.
The last of my family has just left for Alaska and Yao and I are ready to enjoy a house to ourselves. As you know, there are certain perks to living alone. It was a lot of fun having everyone here for awhile though.
Stay tuned for more excitement to come.

The Golden Buddha in Hangzhou, China

Hong Kong Skyline

Yao's mother's cousin's grandson . . . or something like that

Torch bearer for the Beijing Olympics!!!

Yao's family in Xi'an, China